A coastal city in Western Australia has formed an alliance to help deal with stray and feral cats that are fast populating the area.

The City of Greater Geraldton's rangers are utilising cat laws that were introduced in 2011 to collaborate with animal rescuer Darren Darch, from Fauna for the Future.

Senior ranger Paul Acton said Mr Darch was the mid-west region's version of late Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin.

"He's everything animals and he is passionate," Mr Acton said.

"We use Darren and his expertise as a trapper … we use legislation and get him a certificate so that he can trap the cats and hopefully alleviate the issue."

One area of focus has been the local tip site, where Mr Darch has removed about 40 cats.

Western Australia is the state with the highest rate of feline immunodeficiency virus, or cat AIDS, in Australia, with a recent report stating 20 per cent of all cats in WA had the virus.

Trying to curb the spread of feline AIDS

Animal care lecturer Suellen Kelly has been working with the City of Greater Geraldton and Fauna for the Future, testing the cats that have been brought in and ensuring cats that have the disease do not go back into the community.

"Sadly it is a very large problem here in Geraldton," Dr Kelly said.

"The cat shelter has been going for three years and so far we have managed to re-home over 800 cats.

"For people like Darren who are trying to get rid of the feral and stray cat population that are in our river systems and local bush areas, we are involved in helping him deal with those sick and unhealthy cats that haven't got a re-home prospect."

Dr Kelly said one of her teaching goals was to educate the community about responsible cat ownership.

"By getting the [veterinarian] students involved in this program, they understand what a big problem it is in our region," she said.

"Therefore when they get out into the workplace, they can talk to clients and say it's important for your cat to be sterilised, to be vaccinated, keep it indoors, and if you can't give it a home, find an alternative home for it."

One of the problems with stray cats is people feeding them, according to ranger co-ordinator Neryl Beer.

"The more people feed these feral community cats, the cat flu — which a very high percentage of these cats have — is passed on to domestic cats," she said.

"We plead with the community not to continue to do what they think is the right thing to do with these feral community cats, because it's not."

Mr Darch said when he put traps in certain areas, the result was limited because the cats were full from people feeding them.

"They will not come anywhere near my traps because they are all full, so feeding them is detrimental to what we do," he said.

When did Australia's cat problem begin?

Threatened species commissioner Gregory Andrew said feral cats arrived in Australia with the First Fleet.

"They spread so quickly across the whole of Australia that they arrived in the remote parts of Australia before the Europeans did," he said.

"I have met traditional Aboriginal people in Western Australia who were managing feral cats on their land before they knew that Europeans had arrived in Australia."